Machine for applying labels



p 1939- e.-w. vo HOFE ET AL 2,173,892

MACHINE FOR APPLYING LABELS Filed March 2, 1937 1 3 Sheets-Sheet l R 1 In 'nHW' GEORGE v /y 0%;

BEEN/7E0 .D. pi /vs AIlQRNEYS.

Sept. 26, 1939. a. w. VON HOFE ET AL 2,173,392

MACHINE FOR APPLYING LABELS Filed March 2, 1957 s Sheets-Sheet 2 p 1939- Gxw. VON HOFE ET AL 92 MACHINE FOR APPLYING LABELS Filed March 2, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 WWII" HIHHH ATTORNEY:

Patented Sept. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES MACHINE FOR APPLYING'LABELS George W. von Hofe,

Bound Brook, N. J., and

Bernard D. Dans, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignors to New Jersey Machine Corporation,

Hoboken,

N. .L, a corporation of New Jersey Application March 2, 1937, Serial No. 128,604 g 4 Claims.

The invention relates to the art of applying labels and has for its object to provide a novel and simple method for applyinga plurality of labels successively to a given element or article in an efiicient and uniform manner- The invention contemplates particularly the provision of a novel method for applying separate labels independently to different surfaces of an article in a minimum of time and without requiring any specially skilled human supervision. The invention has for its further object to provide amachine of novel and simple construction for carrying out the novel method in an eiiicient manner. In addition the invention proposes to construct the novel machine in such a manner that it may be operated to apply a plurality of labels to dif ferent parts of successive elements orarticles at relatively high speed ina reliable and uniform manner. Other objects will appear from the description hereinafter and the features of novelty will be pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate an example of the invention without defining its limits, Fig. 1 is anelevation, partly broken away, of the novel machine; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on the line 22 of Fig. 1; 'Fig. 3 isa rear elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. l, and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view ,of the intermediate portion of the machine.

In carrying out the novel method, the element to which labels are to be applied is advanced over a predetermined path, the advance preferably being in intermittent successive stages. At one point in said path or: during an intermission in said advance, the first label is applied, for instance, to a given surface of said element; after which at a subsequent point in said path, or during a subsequent intermission in the advance, the

position of said element is changed, for instance by reversing it, to bring another of its surfaces into position for receiving another label.- At another subsequent point in said path or during another subsequent intermission in the aforesaid advance, a second label is applied to said element while in its reverse position and so on until the desired number of labels have been applied to diiferent partsof said element. It will be obvious that instead of reversing the position of the element to receive a second label, the position of said element in its path of advance may be otherwise changed to bring another surface of said element into label receivingposition; in other words, the adjustment of the element to dilferent u label receiving positions will generally depend levers upon the character and shape of the element and/or uponthe positions to be occupied by the successive labels thereon. i 1

The above described novel method may be carried out in many different'ways and is capable of being performed in a particularly efficient manner;by the machine illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings.

The machine in question consists of a frame ID of suitable form and type on which is mounted 10 a means for advancing an elementto be labeled over a given path; the advance of said element over said given path is preferably intermittent in character with an intermission between successive advancement steps. The aforesaidmeans 15 for advancing the element'over the predetermined path maybe of any suitable type and in'the form illustrated consists of carriers or bars H and Ila located inspaced alignment with each other and each provided with a plurality of members or fingers l2 and He located on the respective carriers II and Ho at spaced intervals dependent upon the elements for which the machine is designed. The carriers l l and Ila are each mounted upon supports I3 fixed upon rods I4 25 preferably of rectangular cross-section and slidably mounted in brackets I5 suitably fixed upon the frame III of' the machine. The rods'lt and their associated elements are designed to be reciprocated in forward operative movements and ininoperative return movements,fany suitable means being provided 'forflefiecting this result. In the illustrated example themeans for bring-, ing about the reciprocation of the rods I 4 and the elements connected therewith, comprises le-v 35 vers l6 pivoted at I! upon brackets l8 suitably mounted on the frame H] of themachine, said levers I6 including extensions'or arms l9 pro vided at their free ends with rollers 20 projecting into the cam grooves 2 I of ,cams 22; the latter are 40 fixed upon a main shaft 23 Journalled in the frame In in any conventional way and driven in any customary'manner as by means of an electric motor or its equivalent. At their free ends the accommodating connecting rods 25' influenced by springs 26 which bear against the block 24 at opposite sides thereof andagainst projections 21,

' 21a on the rods 25, the projections 2lapreferably.

being adjustable and being illustrated in the form of 'nuts threaded upon the ends of the-rods 25 as shown in Fig. 1. The rods 25 are pivotally connected at 28 with brackets 29 fixed uponand depending from the slidable rods M. The means for predetermining the path over which the ele- I6 carry pivoted blocks 24 for .slidably in the machine shown in the drawings in the form of bed plates 30 .and 30a suitably mounted on the frame I, the opposed ends of said bed plates 30 and 30a being spaced apart as shown in Fig. l for the purpose to be more fully described hereinafter. To maintain the elements in their predetermined path oi; advance along the bed plates 30 and 30a the latter are preferably provided with guide plates 3| adjustable in vertical directions relatively to said bed plates 80, for instance, by means of set screws 32 and slots 83.

In order to enable the means whereby the elements to be labeled are advanced over the predetermined path to develop inoperative return movements, the rods l 4 are arranged to be rocked about their axes in predetermined sequence with the other operative steps of the machine to raise the members or fingers l2 above the elements during such inoperative return movements. The mechanism for effecting the aforesaid adjustment of the members or fingers I! may be of any suitable type and in the illustrated example comprises arms 34 pivoted at 35 upon the frame ll of the machine and adapted to be rocked on said pivots 35 by means of earns 35 fixed upon the shaft 23. The levers 34 are pivotally connected at 31 with connecting rods 38 which in turn are pivotally connected at 39 with lugs 40 secured upon the rods H as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4.

In the illustrated example of the machine, the elements to be labeled are diagrammatically shown in the form of rectangular articles adapted to receive labels successively upon their opposite horizontal faces. These elements a may be delivered into position for advancement by the mechanism previously described in'any suitable manner as, for instance, by means of an endless conveyor 4| passing over suitably mounted rollers 42 journalled in brackets 43 and operated in any convenient manner, said conveying means being located in delivery relation to the bed plate 30 or its equivalent, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4. With the described arrangement, means is'preferably provided for shifting successive elements a from the conveyor 4| or its equivalent, to the bed plate 30 or into position for advancement by the advancing means previously described herein. In theillustrated example the transfer of the elements a from the conveyor 4 to the'bed plate 30 is effected by means of an upright pushing member 44 projecting upwardly from a carrier 45 which in turn is mounted upon a member 45 secured to the rod shown at the left hand side of Fig. 1'; with this arrangement the pushing .member 44 partakes of the reciprocatory movements of the left hand rod H of Fig. 1 and accordingly operates in synchronism with the members or fingers I! to deliver the elements a from the conveyor 4| into position on thebed plate 30 for advancement over the predetermined path as set forth hereinbefore.

At one point A in the predetermined path over which the elements a are advanced, a label is applied to the particular element a in position to receive the same after which the labeled element ments to be labeled are advanced is illustrated point C in said predetermined path of advancement at which point C a second label is applied to the previously labeled element a.

4 To effect these results, label applying mechanism of any suitable type is located at the points A and C in proper relation to the successive elements a as they are advanced along the predetermined path defined by the bedplates 30 and a. Said label applying mechanisms may be of any well known type and operate in any conventional manner; as such label applying mechanisms form no part per se of the novel invention, it has not been deemed necessary to illus trate the same in detail and said mechanisms accordingly are shown only in a diagrammatic form. That part of the label applying mechanisms appearing at the points A and C in Fig. 1 of the drawings is intended to represent a suction head and is indicated by the reference characters 41 and 41a respectively, at the stations A and C; this suction head 41 or 41a. is designed in the well known way to remove a label from a supply or stack, then deliver it to the application point and to applyit to the element a, it being understood that the labels carried by'the suction head 41 or 410. are'generally provided with a coating of adhesive in any well known manner.

In the illustrated example of the machine it is intended, as previously mentioned herein, to apply a label successively to the opposite horizontal faces of each of the elements a. At' the intermediate point B of the path of advancement, the elements a which have received a label on one face at the point A are reversed to adjust the opposite face of each of said elements a into position to receive a second label subsequently at the point C in said path of advancement. The machine at the intermediate point B, that is, in the space between the opposed ends of the bed plates 30 and 30a, is accordingly provided with means whereby the elements a are successively reversed to receive another label at the point C. In its illustrated formthe mechanism in question consists of co-operating upper and lower jaws 48 and 49 pivoted at 50 upon brackets 5| mounted for vertical adjustment upon a plate 52 and fixed in their adjusted positions in any convenient manner as by means of set screws 53; generally speaking the arrangement is such that the upper face of the lower jaw will be fiush with the bed plates 30 and 30a although this may not always be necessary or desirable. The jaws 48 and 49 include extensions'or arms 54 acted upon by springs 55 tending to yieldingly force the jaws 48 and 49 towards each other in a clamping position. To properly position the elements a between the jaws 48 and 49 the latter are provided with stops 55 preferably adjustable and fixed in position by means of set screws 51.

In order to provide for the operation of the jaws 48 and 49 in a manner to reverse an element a clamped therebetween, the plate 52 carrying said jaws is mounted in the illustrated example of the machine upon a stub shaft58 journalled in a bearing 59 mounted so as to be vertically adjustable upon a bracket 59 forming part of or secured to the frame ll! of the machine; to permit the vertical adjustment above mentioned, the bracket 60 may be provided with a 1 vertical slot 6| for the accommodation of a nut and bolt 52 carried by an extension, depending from the bearing 59. The stub shaft 58 is designed to be rocked in the bearing 59 to operate the jaws 48 and 49 in a manner to reverse the element a clamped therebetween and for this purpose may be provided with a pinion 63 meshing with a rack 64, the latter being slidably mounted'for vertical reciprocation in a stationary bearing block 65; the rack 64 preferably is provided with adjustable stops 64a co-operating with suitable parts of the machine to limit the vertical movements of said rack 64 in opposite-directions. The mechanism for'vertically reciprocating the rack 64 may be of any suitable character and in the illustrated example consists of a connecting rod 66, preferably adjustable as to length, which has its one end pivotally connected at 6'! with said rack 64 and its other end pivotally connected at 68 with one arm of a bellcrank lever 69 pivoted at 10 upon a suitable part of the machine. The other arm of the bellcrank lever-69 is pivotally connected at H with a link 72 which preferably is impositively con-' nectedwith'its operating mechanism for the purpose to be more fully set forth hereinafter. As shown in Fig. 2 the link 12 accordingly terminates in a member 13 provided with a notch 14 adapted to accommodate a pin 15 carried by lever 16; the latter is pivoted at T1 upon a bracket'l8 suitably fixed upon the frame In of the machine, a spring 19 preferably being provided for yieldingly maintaining the notch 14 in operative connection withthe pin 15. At its lower end the lever l6 carries a roller 80 which projects'into the cam groove Bl of a cam 82 mounted upon a counter-shaft 83 journalled in suitable bearings in the frame I 0 of the machine; the cam groove 8! of the cam82 constitutes the means for rocking the lever 16 and thereby operating the associated elements to effect the vertical reciprocation of the rack 64 and the operation of the jaws 4B and 49 to bring about the reversal of the articles a as they are clamped between said jaws. The cam 82 may be rotatively actuated in any suitable manner as for'instance by means of a gear 84 meshing with a pinion 85 carried by the shaft 23.

In addition to the parts so far described, the illustrated machine includes means for adjusting the jaws 48 and 49 to and from their clamping position and vice versa in order to. permit the elements a to be successively advanced into'position'to be clamped between said jaws. As shown in the drawings this means comprises a lever 86 pivoted at 8'! upon a bracket 88 suitably mounted on the frame Ill of, the machine and provided at its one end with a roller 89 operativelycombined with a cam 90 mounted upon the previously mentioned counter-shaft 83. 'The opposite end of the lever 86 carries an adjustable abutment illustrated in the form of a screw 9| arranged to engage the arms 54 of the jaws 48 and 49 when said arms successively occupy the position of the arm 54 forming part of the jaw 48 in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

For the purpose of announcing or properly cooperating with any disruption of the impositive connection between the link 12 and the lever 16 when for any reason such disruption takes place, the member 13 of said link 12 is located in cooperative relation with a switch 92 located in an electric circuit 93; this circuit may include an alarm which is sounded when the aforesaid impositive connection is disrupted or said circuit may include the electric motor whereby the shaft 23- is operated so that said motor will automatically be stopped to arrest the operation of the machine when the aforesaid impositive connection is broken.

In the operation of the machine the elements a are supplied in any convenient manner to the ,rods I 4 ,tion of the levers l6 and cams 22 as will be aplabeled element a conveyor 4| or its equivalent, and are progressively advanced thereby into position, for successive transfer to the bed plate 30 during operative periods of the machine; during such opera-' tive periods the shaft, 23 may be rotated by means of an electric motor or otherwise so that the are operatively reciprocated by the acparent. The elements a are accordingly trans ferred from the conveyor 4| or its equivalent, by the pushing action of the pushing member 44 and are intermittently advanced along the predetermined path definedby the bed plate 30. As

previously stated, this intermittentadvance is effected by the members or fingers l2 which, as 7 also stated hereinbefore, are shifted to an inoperative position above said elements a topermit said membersor fingers l2 to develop inoperative returnmovements. As these operations proceed an element a will finally reach the point A in. the aforesaid path of advancement; at this point, and preferably during an intermission in the advance of the element a, the, suction head 4'! or its equivalent, at the point A will be suitably operated to apply a label to the upper. surface ofthe element a which is in position to receive the, same. The advancement of the elements a along the predetermined path, that-is along the bed plate 30, is then resumed and continues until the labeled. element a reaches the point B in said path of advance. As this stage is reached, that jaw 48 or 49 which happens to be uppermost, in the illustrated example the jaw 48 will be. pivotally shifted away from the lower jaw by the action of the lever 86 and its associated elements. This permits the previously to be shifted onto the lower jaw, that is the jaw 49 in Fig. 2 which as previously stated generally is at a common level with the bed plates 30 and 30a. As soon as the previously labeled element a has been properly positioned on the lower jaw, that is 49 in the illustrated example, the lever 86 will be rocked to permit the spring 55 to adjust the upper jaw, that is the jaw 48 in Fig. 2, toward the jaw 49 to thereby clamp the previously labeled element abetween' said jaws 48 and 49. At theproper moment the rack 64' is vertically operated to rock the stub shaft 59 and to thereby actuate the-jaws 48 and 49 in a manner to change the position of or to' specifically reverse the previously labeled element a and to bring its opposite surfaceor tootherwise adjust said element a to a position to subsequently receive another label. When the reversal of the previously labeled element a has been effected or its position has otherwise been changed, the uppermost jaw which in the instant case will now be the jaw 49, will be acted upon to release the element a and thus permit the same to be transferred to the bed plate 30a. From this point the advancing of the previously labeled element a in its reversed or otherwise changed position will be advanced along the bed plate 30a by the members or fingers I 2a and their associated elements until said element a reaches the point C in its path of advance. At this point C, and preferably during an intermission in such advance, the suction head 41a or its equivalent, will be operated to apply a second label to the element a or in other words in the illustrated example to apply said second label to the opposite face of the previously labeled element a.

These operations continue throughout a given operative period of the machine and accordingly advance successive elements (1. along the predetermined point of path first to the point A therein to there receive one label for instance during an intermission in said advance, and then to carry the labeled element a to the point B in said path. At this point for instance during a subsequent intermission in the advance of'said elements a the position of the previously labeled element a is changed or as shown in the illustrated example is reversed by the rocking of the jaws 48 and 49 about the axis of the stub shaft 58, after which the advance is continued until the previously labeled element a in its changed or reversed position reaches the point C in said path. At the latter point, for instance during another subsequent intermission in the advancement of said element a along said predetermined path, a second label is applied to the previously labeled element 0., while the latter is in its changed or reversed position. The elements 'a' if completely labeled are then passed out of the machine and disposed of in any suitable manner or if additional labels are to be applied are subjected to the action of additional position changing means and subsequent label applying mechanisms with which the machine in such case is provided.

If for any reason something should happen in the' operation of the machine to interfere with the proper actuation of the jaws 48 and 49 to eilect a change in the position of or to reverse the previously labeled element a, the impositive connection between the notch 14 and pin l5'will be disrupted and the pin 15 will act on the member 13 to lift the same on its pivot 1| into coritact with and to operate the switch 92; in this way the electric circuit 93 will be closed and either will sound an alarm to notify the attendant of the existing difliculty or will stop the motor and thereby automatically arrest the operation of the machine.

The machine is simple in construction and operates with a maximum of efficiency and at relatively high speed without the necessity for any skilled supervision on the part of human operators. The machine is particularly effective in carrying out the novel method herein described and obviously may be designed for applying a plurality of successive labels in predetermined positions on and to elements or articles of various and different shapes, forms and types.

Various changes in the specific forms shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

We claim:

1. The combination of means for advancing an article over a given path of travel, and means located at a predetermined point in said path and including clamping jaws for receiving and clamping said article, whereby said clamped article is bodily adjusted at said predetermined point to change the position of said article for continued advance in its changed position over said given path of travel.

2. The combination of means for advancing an article over a given path consisting of spaced sections located in succession to each other, clamping jaws, extending into said path in a space between successive sections thereof to normally form an intermediate part of said path, means for operating said jaws to receive said article and to clamp it, and means for rotatively actuating said clamped jaws to adjust theclamped article at said intermediate. part of said path to a new position for continued advance in said new position over a succeeding section of said path.

3. The combination of means for advancing an article over a given path of travel, clamping jaws extending into said path at a. predetermined point thereof to normally form an intermediate part of said path, a support on which said jaws are pivotally mounted for movement toward and away from each other, a stub-shaft carrying said support and the jaws mounted thereon, means for pivotally actuating said jaws on said support to receive and clamp said article as it advances over said path,,and mechanism operatively connected with said stub-shaft for rotatively actuating said clamped jaws and the article clamped thereby on the axis of said stub-shalt to reverse the position of said article at said predetermined point of said path and to release the article subsequent to said reversal for continued advance in said reversed position over said path-of travel.

4. The combination of means for advancing an element over a given path, clamping jaws extending into said path at a predetermined point therein to normally form a part of said path, a support on which said jaws are pivotally mounted, a stub-shaft carrying said support, means for pivotally actuating said jaws on said support to receive said element and to clamp it, and mechanism operatively connected with said stub-shaft for rotatively actuating said jaws on the axis ofsaid stub-shaft to reverse the position of said element at said predetermined point in said path for continued advance in said reversed position over said path.

GEORGE W. VON HOFE. BERNARD D. DANS. 

